A Good Husband
by Kristen3
Summary: When Niles starts losing patients to a rival doctor, he begins to worry if he can be a good enough husband and provider for Daphne and David. Post series, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**Thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) and Andrea (iloveromance) for their help and encouragement w/ this story! I literally started writing this yesterday, so I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish. Patience is appreciated, although I know it's not always easy to give! *grin*

Niles looked at his appointment calendar for today. He couldn't help noticing all the blank spaces. Lately more and more patients had been calling to cancel appointments, or to have their records sent elsewhere. At first, he'd laughed it off, saying he liked having time to run home and see Daphne and David during the day. Though he loved his work, his family meant much more. After being in love with Daphne for such a long time, being married to her was even better than he'd imagined. And David was everything Niles could hope for in a son. Sure, he was only a few months old, but Niles was convinced that David was bound to be just as intelligent as his father and Uncle Frasier.

Now, Niles looked around his office and sighed, defeated. The dwindling size of his practice had really begun to worry him. After all, he wasn't just working to support himself anymore. He had a wife and child. He knew it was his job to provide for them. He'd contemplated other ways to use his skills to earn a living. There was always writing. He'd written a few articles in some well-respected psychiatry journals. It wasn't much, he knew, but it was something. And, maybe one day, he could even write a book. _Boy, wouldn't that be a twist? _Niles thought. _And I used to think _Frasier _was a sell-outi!_

For the rest of that day, Niles tried his best to concentrate on the few patients he still had. But his worries about job were never far from his mind. Several times, his patients had to get his attention when he'd drifted off during a session. In the past, it had been thoughts of Daphne which made it difficult to pay attention. Her smile, or something she'd said when he last saw her, would cause him to daydream about what it would be like to kiss her and tell her how deeply he loved her. But now, she was his wife, and all his thoughts were not so pleasant. He knew that this new obstacle in his life would only increase his usual level of anxiety.

After what seemed like forever, Niles wrapped things up with his last patient. Before leaving, he told Mrs. Woodson she could have tomorrow morning off. There wasn't much work for her these days, other than answering phones. It seemed unncessary to make her come in for something Niles could easily handle himself. After saying goodnight to his longtime secretary, he got into his car and began the drive home. When he passed by Cafe Nervosa, he was nearly tempted to stop for a latte. But he knew Daphne would be expecting him, and he hadn't seen David since this morning. That one thought caused Niles to hurry to the Montana, eager to see his precious son.

A few minutes later, took out his key, ready to unlock the door to his sanctuary. But before he could even do that, Daphne opened the door. In her arms was David. The sight caused Niles to sigh immediately. "David!" He carefully took the baby from her arms. The feeling of holding his son in his arms made Niles' worries about his practice vanish. "How are you?" he cooed, almost expecting David to answer.

"He just had his nap," Daphne said. "He missed you today. And he's not the only one." She kissed her husband.

"I missed you both," Niles said. "It's so good to be home!"

"Well, I'll leave you two to get reacquainted while I make you something to eat," Daphne said.

"All right, my love," Niles said, carrying David over to the sofa.

"By the way, how was work today?" Daphne asked over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen.

Niles swallowed hard, suddenly reminded of his earlier worries. "Oh, um...the usual." He breathed a sigh of relief when the kitchen door closed behind Daphne, just as his nose began to bleed.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne could tell something was wrong. Niles was always more reserved than his brother, but he wasn't usually _this_ quiet. He didn't rave about her cooking the way he normally did, and he barely even asked how her day was. As she and Niles were finishing dinner, she reached across the table, gently taking hold of his hand. "Darling, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, my love," Niles replied, kissing her hand. "I've just got a lot on my mind...my patients," he added quickly.

Daphne smiled at him sympathetically. She knew Niles' ethics prevented him from discussing the specifics of his therapy sessions with her, but did her best to let him know she cared. It was the least she could do for him, considering the way he watched over her, making sure she took time to rest in between taking care of David, the house, and Martin. She loved him for it. Not to mention the long hours he spent at work, which allowed her and David to live in complete comfort. As Daphne looked across the table at him, she sensed that, whatever was upsetting him, he wasn't about to discuss it now. She grinned at him mischeviously. "How about I clear the table, put David down in his playpen, and then you and I can spend some time together? Just the two of us." She winked at him, to be sure there was no mistaking her intention.

Niles smiled, and for the first time since they'd sat down, he relaxed. "That sounds wonderful." He hated keeping this a secret from Daphne, but he couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her. After all, taking care of her and David was his job. Daphne was nothing less than an angel, and she deserved to have the best that money could buy. He'd spent seven years wishing he could give it to her, and now that he had the chance, he intended to do it to the best of his ability.

Later that night, Niles found himself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Beside him, Daphne was completely out. No wonder, considering how hard she worked taking care of David and the house. Niles looked at her, amazed at how breathtaking she was even now. "Oh...my love," he whispered, stroking her hair. The gesture caused Daphne to sigh in her sleep, though she did not wake. Niles' heart broke, imagining what she would think if she knew the truth. He was a failure, there was no other way to put it. He got out of bed. Suddenly, he had to escape. He quickly threw on his clothes from earlier. As he left the master bedroom, he instinctively glanced in the direction of the nursery. But he knew that if he caught a glimpse of his son's face, he would never be able to leave. Once downstairs, he quickly grabbed the keys to his Mercedes and slipped out the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

Daphne awoke to the sound of David's cries coming through the baby monitor. "Coming, sweetheart," she said as she put her robe on. As she got up, she noticed the other side of the bed was empty. "Niles?" she asked, walking out into the hallway, half-blinded in the dark. A quick glance around told her that Niles wasn't upstairs. She stood there in confusion, then once again she heard her son's cries. She walked into the nursery and picked David up. "It's OK, I'm here," she said softly, holding him close. She kissed his forehead as she stood there rocking him back and forth. All the while, she fought the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. Where had Niles gone in the middle of the night?

Once she'd successfully gotten David back to sleep, she walked downstairs. Maybe Niles wanted a midnight snack, or else had woken up to finish up some patient files. But she didn't find him in the kitchen, or his study. Now, she was truly worried. She picked up the phone and dialed Martin and Ronee's number.

Ten minutes later, Daphne greeted her father-in-law at the front door, along with a rather disgruntled Ronee. "I'm terribly sorry to wake you both at this hour, but Niles has been acting a bit strange lately, and now he's just bloody disappeared! Can you two watch David while I go out and look for Niles?"

"Sure, Daph," Martin said immediately. "He's probably just out driving around somewhere, trying to get things off his mind. Try not to worry. Ronee and I will take care of things here."

Daphne hugged him, grateful he was able to be so calm. That probably came from his years of police training.

Ronee sighed. "Well, it's not like this is the first time I've had to baby-sit one of the Crane boys in the middle of the night. Hey, Marty, remember when I had to come over and watch Niles because Frasier snuck out to go to that foriegn film showing at midnight? God, you were so mad!"

"Yes, Ronee," Martin said, patting his wife's hand. "But I don't think now's the time to bring that up." He turned back to Daphne. "Don't worry about David, he's in good hands. And I'm sure Niles is just fine. Keep your cellphone on, so I can let you know if he calls or comes back here."

With a quick nod to her father-in-law, Daphne left, trying to convince herself that Martin was right, and that her husband was perfectly safe, wherever he was.

As Daphne walked through the Montana's parking garage, she was surprised to see Niles' car still there. When she got closer, she realized he was inside it. She opened the passenger's door and slid in. She was prepared to confront him and ask him why he would scare her to death by leaving like that. But when she saw him sitting there, looking down at his lap so sadly, her anger vanished.

Niles looked up when he saw her. "I was going to go to Nervosa. Then I remembered it's closed. So I was just sitting here," he explained. "Where's David?"

"He's upstairs," Daphne answered. "Your father and Ronee are watching him. Now, what's wrong?" She reached over and took his hand.

"I don't want to talk about it," Niles said, once again looking down.

"Darling, you can trust me. We're supposed to be partners...best friends." Daphne's heart broke, seeing him hurting like this. She felt so helpless.

Niles smiled at her words. Long before they were a couple, Daphne had been his cloest friend, even more than Frasier in some ways. He sighed. "It's about my patients. They're...leaving me."

"Leaving you?" Daphne asked. "Why?"

"There's a new doctor in my building. Derek Owens. He's trying to build his own psychiatry practice, and he's doing it by offering my patients a discount if they'll switch. I don't know what to do. If I have no patients, I have no job. How am I supposed to support you and David?"

Daphne gently touched his cheek. "David and I are fine for right now. That's all that matters."

"But I'm a failure, Daphne!" Niles exclaimed. "When we got married, I promised to take care of you. And I'm not doing a very good job of it."

"You're doing a wonderful job," Daphne said. "And as for your patients, you can find new ones. Why don't you call Roz? I'm sure she'd let you advertise on KACL. And I bet your brother would have ideas, too. If things are bad for a while, we can get through it. I could work part-time if it came to that. Your father wouldn't mind watching David."

Niles caressed her cheek, overwhelmed with love for her. "But you do so much already. It wouldn't be fair."

Daphne kissed him. "I could manage. As long as I have you and David, I'll be fine. Let's go back upstairs so your father and Ronee can go back home. We can talk about all this in the morning."

Niles kissed Daphne one more time. "I love you," he said. He'd said it to her countless times over the years, and yet he didn't think he'd ever meant it more.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Niles awoke quickly at the sound of the alarm clock. He saw Daphne begin to stir. "I'll take care of David. You must be exhausted." Too tired to speak, Daphne merely smiled up at him. "I love you, too," Niles said, kissing her forehead. "Now, go back to sleep." Obediently, Daphne laid her head back on the pillow and went to sleep. Niles carefully covered his wife with a blanket before leaving to check on their son.

When he entered the nursery, Niles was surprised to see his son already awake. He sat in his crib, happily babbling to himself. Niles picked David up and carried him over to the rocking chair that sat in the corner. As he rocked back and forth, he could only stare in amazement at his son. He bent down and kissed the top of David's head, overwhelmed with love. "I know you're probably too young to realize this, but you're a very lucky little boy," Niles said. "You've got a big family who loves you very much. Your grandpa and grandma Ronee love you. Well, Grandpa does, and I think you're growing on Ronee more than she'd like to admit. And your Uncle Frasier is just crazy about you. He can't wait to come and visit you soon. Roz and Alice love you, too. Alice is anxious for you to get a little bigger so she can play with you! But you know what the best part is, even more than all the other people in your family?" Niles looked his son in the eye, hoping that somehow, David could understand him. "You've got the best mommy in the whole world, and someday, I'm going to tell you why I love her so much."

Niles sat in that chair for a long time, just holding his son, and dreaming about the future. He knew he still needed to make a few calls about getting his practice back on its feet. But for right now, all that mattered was that he and Daphne would be OK. He hadn't realized until last night just how strong their love was. A love like that could overcome anything. Niles was sure of it.

**The End**


End file.
